As reproduction machines and rendering devices such as copiers and printers become more complex and versatile in the jobs they can perform, servicing such devices also becomes more complex. These rendering devices include numerous subcomponents, each of which contributes to some operation of the rendering device.
Due to the complexity of rendering devices, numerous tasks are often required of service representatives as devices malfunction, are diagnosed, and corrected. Troubleshooting can involve numerous servicing procedures to isolate malfunctioning device subcomponents. Service representatives must, therefore, keep track of servicing procedures previously performed in order to isolate the source of any device malfunction.
In accordance with the types of operations preferably performed by a particular rendering device, the initial set-up of the machine varies. Accordingly, identical rendering devices can initially be provided with widely varying set-up features. This can make it difficult for a service technician to know specifically what service procedure to follow for a given device.
Periodic maintenance is required for all production and many office printing systems. Such systems typically define a set of High Frequency Service Items (“HFSI”), which outline various maintenance activities that must be performed at different intervals. These systems also employ internal sensors and counters to determine which of the HFSI's require servicing at a particular time. The status of these HFSIs is presented, on request, to the operator. In past embodiments, the operator would navigate to a machine diagnostics window to view a table of HFSI items, manually record any items that needed attention, and then navigate away from the HFSI table to the appropriate parts list and repair procedure. The navigational steps between the HFSI and appropriate procedures decrease the service provider's efficiency.
Such systems may also provide information relating to errors that have occurred since the system was last serviced. This information is useful in determining what services and repairs are necessary to fix the system.
For any problem that requires attention, there is typically an online maintenance manual (“Edoc”) that details the specific procedure for servicing the problem. When performing maintenance on the system, the operator typically views the machine diagnostics to determine the problem that requires attention, looks up the appropriate maintenance procedure, performs the specified maintenance procedure, and repeats the above steps for the next problem. The time spent on periodic maintenance is non-productive overhead. The present invention reduces the non-productive time spent on identifying and troubleshooting problems.